If your home is one of the many around the world decked out in Ikea furniture, you could be unknowingly sitting on a small fortune.
Vintage furniture from the Swedish home ware giant, famous for its self-assembly flat pack pieces, are currently selling for way more than they were originally bought for.
Auctioneers and retailers in the UK, US and Sweden have reported how Ikea furniture from the 1950s to the 1990s can sell for hundreds of times their original price tag.
Online marketplace experts have noted seeing a growing demand for old school Ikea items over the past few years and, according to them, the demand is only getting bigger.
Anthony Barzilay Freund, editorial director of 1stDibs told the Financial Times, | Over the past three years, prices have increased by more than 50 per cent.
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“The average list price of vintage Ikea seating models is $3,000.”
The interest in the decades old household items is said to stem from their similarity to pieces made by big name designers.
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John Black from the British auction house Sworders explained that Ikea's pieces between the 50s and 90s mirrored the clean modern freshness of the creations of high-end designers like Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl.
It means that retro furniture fanatics and vintage collectors can nab a piece that looks just like a super pricey, sophisticated piece at a much lower price.
For example, a simple Teak Ikea armchair made in the 1960s is currently for sale for £931 on vintage furniture site Pamono.
Meanwhile, a super rustic looking pinewood trolley made in the 1970s is selling for £513.
So, who knows? Maybe that old chair you’ve had somewhere in the house for years or your nostalgically chic Ikea drinks trolley could actually make you some serious cash.
